April 30, 2015

Progressive/Concept Review: Purposeful Porpoise (Self Titled)

This
is another of those gems that would have missed the prog radar of this
reviewer. The album, Purposeful Porpoise,
should I have come across it in a record store, would probably not have been
looked at, and that would have been a huge loss. The band, also Purposeful
Porpoise, isn’t a supergroup in the true sense of the word, but is a super
group in that, despite today’s digital knowhow, the members of this band all
head to the studio together, and record together rather than send individual
completed parts from various parts of the world. This does have an effect on
the way the music will evolve when recording.

The debut album from the band, Purposeful Porpoise, is a concept album dealing with the futuristic
aquatic world, Nommos, where the inhabitants are dolphin-like bi-peds, living
peacefully until their power source is stolen and transported away. This
launches a battle between the two inevitable sides, Good and Evil. This is a
quest for survival in a world occupied by Air Pirates, warriors, mystics, savages,
villains and saviours. This is the very fabric of classical progressive concept
albums, such as, Olias of Sunhillow
by Jon Anderson. (1974) Purposeful Porpoise, the band, is a 5 piece group
comprising, Alex Cora (lead guitar, vocals), Vinnie Colainta (drums), Derek
Sherinian (keyboards), Ric Fierabracci (bass) and Ginny Luke (violin). There
are also a few guests on the recording, Gustavo Farias (moog solo), Matt Linsky
(guitar solo), Collette Von (vocals), David Kirsch (vocals) and Luke Tierney
(vocals).

Purposeful
Porpoise, the album, is a 9 track double album, with a total
playing time of around 83 minutes. The longest track, also the opening track,
is “Crossing Into The Unknown” is an epic reaching out towards the 21 minute
mark (20:47). The shortest track on offer on the album is “Which Way Is Up” at
only 4:22 minutes.

Opening with the epic 20+minute “Crossing Into The
Unknown,” the album gets off to a flyer. There is a simple acoustic guitar
start with some violin, bass and synth joining in. The drums then herald a
stunningly memorable passage by the violin/synths. This theme ebbs and flows
then the tempo changes allowing the entry of the vocals in a passage that is a much
more driving passage. The interplay between the male and female vocal fits like
a glove, with the vocals both clear and harmonious. The violin is an
ever-present instrument, ducking and diving around in the background. Around
the 3:30 minute mark, there is an echo put onto the voice to act as the
“narrator” before the vocals move back to the male/female interaction. The
violin picks up the intensity of the sound as the track enters another varied
passage of acoustic guitar and violin. The superb aural landscape being painted
is left to the imagination of the listener. Just on the 7 minute mark there is
a very simply, but catchy, acoustic guitar which announces the arrival of a
symphonic synth theme, plus more “informative” styled vocals. The violin work
provided by Ginny continues to be a foundation of the track and at times is
very reminiscent of Darryl Way (Curved Air). Not to be outdone there is some
amazing guitar work and, at times, excellent piano passages. The early themes
are returned later in the track and then there is an almost spacey-like section
which appears without warning. As an opening track to an album, this definitely
has all the credentials, and you almost want to hear the entire track again
before moving on.

“Nowhere Bound” (5:46) starts with acoustic guitar and
some excellent vocals before the violin adds depth in the background. Some
stunning synth and guitar allow the track to grow and build. This is a
mid-paced track that slowly gets into your head as it effortlessly flows along.
There is a superb synth passage before the original themes reappear and the
synth appears again as the song starts to take its leave.

The final track on the album has one of those “let’s
pretend to be tuning up” style starting points, before the track proper kicks
in around 60 seconds. Driving guitars, both electric and acoustic, bass and
drums are supplemented by crystal clear forceful vocals. The tempo changes into
the third minute with an insistent synth adding power to the vocal before a
return to the starting tempo. This chop/change tempo continues as the synth
reappears, until a very different synth passage soars away at the 4:45 minute
point, starting deep in the background and then just slowly rising. Guitars
then get a little time in the limelight before the violin provides another
excellent passage. The bass gets a chance to have its say in a little solo, but
I hoped that we wouldn’t get a drum solo, but I was wrong. Unfortunately, I
really don’t think that a drum solo adds in any way to the flow of the music.
The song ultimately fades out in a mish-mash of instruments after a voice
explains the outcome of the Good versus Evil battle.

All in all, Purposeful Porpoise is a very creditable
debut album, which has some simply awesome passages, but as with many concept
albums, the storytelling can provide some musical pitfalls, which simply don’t
work well as well. Having said all of that, Purposeful Porpoise is a very
satisfying listen and is well worth giving up 90 minutes of your time to check
it out. At the end of that 90 minutes, you will then have the choice to either
buy the album or not, but I will certainly use the music on the radio show and
listen to this album many more times.

4/5
Stars

Key
Tracks: Crossing Into The Unknown, Nowhere Bound, Cycles

Tracks:Crossing Into The UnknownThe Air PiratesUnexplainediPhonesLostSerena’s SongNowhere BoundWhich Way Is UpCycles